Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $202.65.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Applied Materials from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Applied Materials from $190.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Applied Materials from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Applied Materials from $235.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $194.99 on Wednesday. Applied Materials has a 1-year low of $123.74 and a 1-year high of $255.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 1.76. The business's fifty day moving average price is $169.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $164.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $156.48 billion, a PE ratio of 23.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.69.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.08. Applied Materials had a return on equity of 40.15% and a net margin of 24.06%. The company had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.09 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Applied Materials will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 21st. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total transaction of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. This represents a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Materials

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Applied Materials by 972.2% in the first quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Materials in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its position in Applied Materials by 435.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 5,325.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Disciplina Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Applied Materials by 91.5% during the 1st quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. 80.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Applied Materials

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.